Ridgemont Highlands’ prominent young stallion Rafeef continues to impress as a top-class young sire, and the regally bred son of Redoute’s Choice once again came to the fore at Turffontein on Saturday when two sons from his first crop won the G1 World Sports Betting SA Derby and G3 World Sports Betting Man O’War Sprint respectively.

The 2022 Man O’War Sprint proved a particular triumph for Rafeef, whose sons Master Archie and Cleaver Greene ran first and second respectively.

Top-class three-year-old Aragosta became Rafeef’s G1 winner when he stormed home from off the pace to win Saturday’s G1 SA Derby (2450m) in emphatic fashion.
Under an inform Richard Fourie, the Mike de Kock trained gelding made amends for a fifth place finish in the G1 WSB SA Classic last time out with a convincing win in Saturday’s R1 000 000 racce -and last leg of the WSB Triple Crown. Aragosta, victorious in the G3 Sea Cottage Stakes earlier this season, powered home to best the promising Zeus by half a lengths, with London Roads another five and a half lengths further away in third.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Aragosta (a R220 000 buy from the 2020 National Yearling Sale) has now won four of eight starts for earnings of R1 311 375.

Master Archie became the third graded stakes winner, following Aragosta and William Robertson, to have emerged from Rafeef’s first crop when he ran out a courageous winner of Saturday’s G3 Man O’ War Sprint (1100m). Under Gavin Lerena, the Paul Peter trained grey fought off fellow Rafeef son Cleaver Greene to win by a neck, with the first and second drawing well clear of third place finisher, and dual graded stakes winner Sound Of Warning.

Bred and owned by Messrs Harry and Hanna (Adam Azzie was also involved in breeding him), Master Archie had reeled off three wins in a row earlier in his career. The three-year-old took his tally of wins to five from just ten starts with his strong effort in Saturday’s graded feature, and Master Archie looks another fine flagbearer for his sire Rafeef.

The latter, South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2020-2021, has now been responsible for seven black type horses in his first crop and Rafeef is currently well clear on the South African Leading Second Season Sires List for 2021-2022.

By a champion out of a champion, Rafeef has an exceptional draft on offer at this year’s National Sale, headed by half-brothers or sisters to such graded stakes winners as Alexis, Big Burn, Catch Twentytwo, Sprinkles, Temple Grafin and World Radar.